This invention relates generally to a device for treatment of respiratory ailments and specifically to a device for providing both nebulized medicants and humidified air to a patient suffering a respiratory ailment. Several respiratory diseases or ailments, such as emphysema, asthma, bronchitis, pulmonary fibrosis and other pulmonary and bronchial diseases are treated utilizing various respiratory apparatus which provide humidified air to the lungs of a patient or a nebulized medicant under pressure to the patient's lungs. These devices have been characterized in the past by being quite complicated in structure, expensive, bulky and not easily transportable.
The instant invention provides a very compact respiratory treatment device which provides both humidified air and a nebulized medicant simultaneously with or without intermittent positive pressure breathing in a single compact system which is readily transportable for use almost anywhere. The device includes a first air compressor with its output in fluid communication with an aerosol generator. The output of the aerosol generator provides nebulized, humidified air under positive pressure and is in fluid communication with a medicant nebulizer and mouthpiece. A second air compressor output is connected to a cycling valve for providing intermittent positive pressure breathing and to the medicant nebulizer, the nebulizer and a fluidic inverter cycling valve being coupled to a breathing mouthpiece. In this configuration, the device is capable of providing nebulized, humidified air from the aerosol generator and nebulized medicant from the nebulizer simultaneously, with a fluidic inverter cycling valve allowing for intermittent positive pressure breathing (IPPB) to the patient. Also it has been determined that the first air pressure source provides a slight back pressure which is advantageous for the patient during exhalation of air from the lungs.